The Dutch Dining Room in Turn‐of‐the‐Century America

Abstract

In the 1870s and 1880s, American dining room decor underwent a transformation from heavy, dark furniture and a masculine emphasis on the acquisition of raw foodstuffs to light, blue‐and‐white decoration and a feminine emphasis on the presentation of fine cuisine. The emergence of the Dutch dining room epitomized a feminizing effort to introduce greater civility and moral refinement to society through domestic decoration in a room regularly visited by family, friends, and colleagues. This article explores the variety of “Dutch” styles, their basis in stereotypes, and the theoretical underpinnings of this decorative change.